Category: Direct Comparisons

… Fight!

Okay, if you were expecting an all-out bloodbath like last time’s Sonicare EasyClean vs Sonicare Essence 5600, I’m sorry to disappoint you. These two brushes are pretty similar, so this week’s electric toothbrush cage match is going to be short and sweet. If you’re Sonicare toothbrush savvy, you probably noticed that there are two Sonicare HealthyWhite brushes on the market right now — the 710 and the 732. You can read my full review of the HealthyWhite 710, but we’ll be talking about the

Okay, so I’ll admit that’s a slim victory. The HealthyWhite features LED displays to indicate battery strength and setting selection. It also sensibly comes with a hard travel case for brushing on the go, a lot more useful than the little hygienic travel cap packaged with the EasyClean.

though not for the reasons you’d think. Essentially, “Clean & White” is two minutes of “Clean” with an extra 30 seconds of “White” to focus attention on your front teeth. “White” mode sounds and feels different from “Clean” mode (it’s it’s own setting, not just an extra 30 seconds of “Clean” for show) and Sonicare claims it will whiten your teeth two shades in two weeks, but I’m still a little curious how it works. What really impresses me about this brush is the “Sensitive” setting. If you have sensitive teeth and want a Sonicare brush, this is the cheapest option by far.

Note: “Sensitive” is only available with the HealthyWhite 732 brush. The lower-end model, the 710, only offers “Clean” and “Clean & White.”

Price

Not a huge shock, here. The EasyClean is a workhorse of a brush — it cleans your teeth and that’s about it. If you don’t want or need a brush that claims to whiten your teeth or caters to your sensitive gums, from a financial perspective, the decision’s obvious. In any event, try to

and save yourself some money. Keep an eye out for coupons in the “Special Offers and Product Promotions” section, too.

Potential Issues

SSonicare EasyClean

Sonicare HealthyWhite

Small and light means it’s easily knocked over

Old brush heads from earlier generation won’t work

Li-Ion batteries are complicated

No travel case

Small and light means it’s easily knocked over

Old brush heads from earlier generation won’t work

Li-Ion batteries are complicated

“Clean & White” has mixed reviews

Difficult to turn it off

Winner: This one’s tough. Like I said before, these two brushes are very similar. Of the two, the EasyClean probably holds up best, but that’s because it has less to do. I’m calling this a tie.

Clarification: Li-Ion batteries have to be treated a certain way to ensure their long-term health and, unfortunately, it’s not intuitive. Check out BatteryUniversity.com for more information.

Clarification #2: The HealthyWhite is considered difficult to turn off because the “On/Off” and the “Setting Selection” button are the same thing. If you decide to turn off (or pause) your brush mid-use, you’ll have to cycle through the settings until it stops buzzing.

Customer Rating

It may seem close, but when you consider that the EasyClean’s hard-earned 4.6 rating is the result of no fewer than 700 customer ratings (compared to the HealthyWhite’s 220 ratings), the number’s all the more impressive.

Drumroll, please…

Winner: … uh.

So here’s the thing. Both these brushes are actually pretty good. There can be no winner in this contest because people are going to pick different brushes based on their own needs and preferences. For most budget-conscious people, the

Sonicare EasyClean will be enough. It cleans well and, well, that’s the point of a toothbrush, right? But if you have specific concerns, like sensitive or stained teeth, the extra $30 for the Sonicare HealthyWhite

… Fight!

In the last few weeks, I’ve noticed an influx of people looking to compare the Sonicare EasyClean and the Sonicare Essence 5600. Now, I mean, you could kick back and read the full reviews on each brush, but I have a better idea. But I’ll tell you right now, it’s not much of a fight.

but not by much. The Quadpacer feature (for the uninitiated: your dentist recommends a two-minute brushing session, so Quadpacer times you and breaks each session into 30 second chunks so each section of your mouth gets equal attention) is the only major difference between them. I know it doesn’t seem like much, but I’ve seen Sonicare users who downgraded to the Sonicare Essence cite its absence as a disappointment. Oh, and that Pause function to let you slather on some extra toothpaste without losing your place is kind of handy, too.

Price

Yeah, yeah, it’s no shock that the Sonicare Essence’s list price is the cheaper of the two models, but I’ll tell you — I can’t remember the last time I haven’t seen it heavily discounted. Amazon.com has sales on all its electric toothbrushes frequently, but when it comes to this brush, they’re not shy about cutting back the price. If you’re looking for a bargain basement option that will still clean your teeth, the Essence has its price tag in its favour.

Potential Issues

Sonicare EasyClean

Sonicare Essence

Small and light means it’s easily knocked over

Old brush heads from earlier generation won’t work

No travel case, but it does support 100-240VAC and 50/60hz

Did I mention the weird gunky buildup? Ew.

Ni-MH battery suffers when at full charge, so treat it with care

Has travel case, but model available in the US only runs on 110v current

Customer Rating

Winner: Sonicare EasyClean

And there you have it. I’ll be honest with you, this is probably as close to a blowout as this website is likely to ever see. If you’re looking to save money and don’t mind a strict cleaning regime (for your toothbrush, not your teeth — I mentioned the gunk, right?), the Essence is reasonable choice, but the